IN PARALLEL BAKU

Nazim Yunusov is a passionate and professional artist. He parts with his brush only during sleep or work at the Academy of Arts of Azerbaijan. He is also teaching there as the head of the Design Department. After obtaining his degree from the Faculty of Painting of the Azim Azimzadeh Art School, he graduated from the Lvov State Institute of Decorative and Applied Arts as a fashion designer. Today, this gentleman with a calming look is trying to create a harmonious space around himself and to share with people his fantasies made of Light, Good and Love. Apart from his managerial duties as the head of the department, he is also the Secretary of the Azerbaijan Union of Designers. But this is a tribute to social demands of our present. Teaching is a part of his personality, which he sincerely recognizes as a contribution to the development of successive generations, and which stems from a desire to share the secrets of his practical skills. The other part of his I is an organic need to be in constant dialogue with the canvas. In other words, with himself and with us, for the inner world that the artist is taking out from the depths of his soul and pours upon us, his audience, is worth a lot. It is enough to take a look at these fantastically real cities, almost floating in space, genre paintings of Baku of the past or his original still-life paintings to feel that all this is yours! Because you indeed had these images of fantastic houses, objects, and characters in your past life! But when exactly was that past? And where? No way to remember! But you know for sure that it was! And only then, later, when you have this feeling again, you understand that your childhood memories are back! The time when the world seemed fabulously beautiful, life infinite and amazing, trees large, and a rainbow half of a hoop that you could ride and run on!

Perhaps happiness is when you feel yourself an artist?

I do not know. I never thought about it. I paint because I want to. Brushes, paints, canvas and ideas... I do not need anything more than I have…

…to be happy?

And to make sense too.

What for?

Hmm ... To be in harmony, I guess. When I start painting, I do not think about the genres, themes or meanings. I just want to put the inspiration that suddenly hits me on canvas.

Those who have ever seen his works exhibited in the Fountain Square will understand that he is far from slyness. In general, Nazim Yunusov leaves an impression of an open-minded, trustful, straightforward, and positive person. One cannot see a black color or negative emotions in his paintings; rather they are full of sunny and bright strokes.

The artist paints the city he knows. The city of his dreams. Something in him is similar to Baku, while he can also be completely different. The contours of the Maiden Tower, the Baku Bay and the white sails of boats in his city is just the artist's poetic fantasy about a city of his dreams, a city where everything is breathing with rich flavours of the East and the fairy tales from the Thousand and One Nights. It is shining as if covered in gold. This is Icheri Shahar, the Pearl of Baku. The symbol of pride of our citizens and guests. This architectural complex bears the centuries-old history of human destinies and lives. The culture of lifestyle, architecture, crafts is just a small portion of what is venerably preserved in the golden fund of our history, a treasury of intellectual and cultural heritage.

I'm not looking for a particular form of expression. It is the ideas that inspire me and dictate the form of expression. The same idea may often have different forms. I like experimenting with them.

You also have genre paintings such as this one with a serious merchant-looking gentleman in the foreground. Behind him is a young beauty who is frowning at him. Several other women covered with hijab (apparently his wives) are walking in front of him. It looks similar to motifs of Azimzadeh's works from the beginning of the last century...

Quite possible! Perhaps, it is his creativity that has expressed itself in this way. I do not know. 

There is a few more works from the same series such as this one showing a colorful character, let's call him a merchant, who just changes his location from one painting to another, and confirms the artist's view about the transformation of the same idea. It seems that the Merchant series is a chronicle of the people of a particular social status because the theme is in constant development: on one painting, the merchant is leaving home with his wives and goods, while on another one he is with a caravan full of goods for sale, his wives and camels heading to somewhere.

You also draw still-life pictures. But their compositions are very unusual...

They have nothing to do with the classical genre of still-life. The same is true for the compositions.

Apparently, his still-lifes do not look like canonical Dutch paintings. Let's take a look at one of them, for example, where one can see some very old (historically) kitchenware: jugs, a vase and flowers create a very picturesque composition radiating the atmosphere and mood of those days. The only 'live' characters are two very bright birds in the foreground. It seems there is nothing special about this painting. But whether you like it or not, it can take you back to the lifestyle of the past, sort of a memorial journey through the books that you've once read about the customs and traditions of our predecessors.

His works can charge you with positive energy making you to recall what the artist kept repeating about not being a painter, as if apologizing for what he said about his works. Professionals always have issues with expressing themselves, sort of a queer mindset understood only by a narrow circle of people, the professionals. We, however, have another evaluation criterion as his audience: the response of our soul, where no tricky reasoning games can shift the accents, when the work draws your attention creating a magnetic field between you and the artist's canvas, a positive field when you can call what the object a true piece of art.

You are also a teacher. Are there many young people choosing this profession?

Yes. But not everyone, after completing the training course, remains in this profession. Only those who cannot be anyone but artist.

Are there true talents?

Talent is a rare phenomenon, which requires time. But we always have students who attract with their non-ordinary styles.

Do they have love and desire for learning?

It depends… Everything is very individual.

Is there something in the approach of modern students to mastering the profession that demotivates you as a teacher?

Perhaps, yes... In the drawing class, we give them an opportunity to work with life models. In our time, it was a big problem. It was not always possible to work with life models. But today, the students just search for online photos as a background for their pictures. With all due respect to modern trends, the Internet inhibits the ability of analytical thinking. Working with photography instead of a life model deprives one's spiritual association with his creation. But it seems it's easier for our students to create by looking on the screen of their smartphones rather than doing the same with life models. There is no live contact and no natural creativity. Therefore, many of the works are too cold, as they do not have a soul.

You have been the head of the Fashion Design Department for almost fifteen years. Are your graduates able to apply their professional skills in practice?

Of course, if they do not quit and are serious about what they do, then they show their skills in different spheres of our life.

For example?

Developing sportswear or clothes for showbiz. Many of our graduates create and develop their own lines of modern fashion. Everything depends on personal skills and efforts.

Do you have any experience in fashion design?

Yes. When our national team qualified for the Paralympic Games in Beijing, I was offered to develop sportswear for our athletes, including the opening ceremony. A few years ago, young members of our State Orchestra took part in the UNESCO International Music Project held in Paris, Strasbourg, and Brussels. I developed stage costumes for them with elements of national dress.

Have you ever created costumes for theatrical stage in your career?

I was offered to design costumes for the musical Notre Dame Cathedral staged by the UNS Theatre. I have also worked as a designer during the production of  Arshin Mal Alan, where I was responsible for designing the costumes stylized as historical ones.

What did you feel as a theatrical artist?

It was a great experience, as any other creative process. The moment of creativity is always a joy.

Yet you constantly return to painting. Why?

I do not even know what to say. This process of constant transition from fashion design to canvas and paints seems so natural that I do not need any reasoning or explanation. Do not expect any special thoughts about this from me. Frankly, I paint constantly because I want to paint. This desire, whatever I do, does not leave me. That's all I can say.

Have you exhibited your works?

Once in Ankara, at the University of Arts.

Was it a personal exhibition?

No. A personal exhibition requires a completely different approach. My works are not for professionals, but for those who love fine art, perceive it sensually and without asking questions such as "what is it?" or "why?" Sometimes I add some details just for the viewers, so that everything is clear to them. For professionals, this detail is absolutely needless. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for a personal exhibition...

How long does it take?

I have no clue as far as time period is concerned. It may take a year for someone and years for another one...

There was no bitterness, resentment or claim in his replies because he is a type of person who considers any chance to create as the most important moment in his life. To create always. He was indeed lucky to find the ideal world where he always feels comfortable and safe, where he finds harmony and truth. Always…